Chapter 47: Tailed Beast Cannon  

Outside the gate of Kirigakure, Ao walked in with bloodstains all over his body. The patrolling ninja saw him at a glance and quickly approached.

"Sir Ao, didn't you go on a mission? How could you be so badly injured?"

Ao smiled, his eyes full of sadness and anger. "Quick... I need to see Lord Mizukage. I have something important to report."

The Anbu ninja saw Ao's urgency and didn't waste any more time. He helped Ao to the Mizukage building, shouting, "Medical ninja, medical ninja, come quickly."

The Anbu ninja led Ao while a group of people followed closely behind.

Soon they arrived at the Mizukage building, where Mei Terumi had already received the news and was waiting.

Mei Terumi looked at Ao, who was covered in blood, and asked with concern, "Ao, what's going on? Why are you the only one back?"

Ao heard this and climbed up from the stretcher. He "accidentally" fell to the ground and cried bitterly.

"Lord Mizukage, please kill me. I have no face to face everyone. I did not complete the task you assigned me. Hundreds of ninjas, all dead."

Ao performed with great emotion. As he glanced up, he was observing Mei's expression, just as he had anticipated.

Fortunately, to dispel suspicion, he had fired a Water Dragon Bullet before returning to the village, breaking more than a dozen bones. He prided himself on his cleverness.

Ao's sobbing was moving. Even the senior ninja who usually disliked him stood up to plead for him.

"Lord Mizukage, Ao has always worked hard for Kirigakure. Please don't blame him."

"Ao, what on earth did you encounter? Hundreds of people gone just like that," Mei asked, stopping the others from speaking.

This force could delay even Kage-level opponents for a while, awaiting support.

A bald old man stood with his eyes closed next to Mei, but Ao did not dare to underestimate him.

This old man was the pinnacle of power in Kirigakure, with actual power even greater than Mei Terumi.

After the Fourth Mizukage Yagura, it was this master who managed all the affairs of Kirigakure. Mei Terumi was only granted the position of Mizukage by this master in recent years.

Ao's eyes showed sudden hatred as he said, "I don't know the identity of that group of people, but they wore red and black cloaks with red clouds embroidered on them and headbands with slashes through them. Their leader mentioned the name of the master when they encountered us."

The bald old man's eyes, which had been closed, opened, shining with brilliance. His old voice was particularly steady. "It seems the Akatsuki organization has set its sights on me. I wonder which old friend hired them."

The master's intelligence network spanned the ninja world. He had known about the Akatsuki organization since its establishment and had been monitoring various forces over the years.

Of course, he knew some information about this terrifying group of mercenary ninjas.

A group of rogue ninjas who specialized in war operations and participated in small-scale battles between ninja villages.

Even powerful ninjas like Hoshigaki Kisame and Zabuza Momochi were used by them. If it were them, they could easily deal with hundreds of elite ninjas.

"It's my fault for implicating you."

"If they really want my life, they can come and take it. The old man is dying anyway. But they should never touch the pillar of Kirigakure."

The old man's eyes were fierce, stopping Mei from asking further questions.

"Lord Mizukage, please immediately order the whole village to be under martial law, put the Akatsuki organization on the must-kill list, and summon the ninjas outside."

Mei wanted to say something else because Ao's words alone were not enough to make her completely believe it.

But the old man would not give her the opportunity. He harbored a murderous intent towards the Akatsuki organization because his love for the village far exceeded that of ordinary people.

He could give up his hard-earned power and even his life for the village's overall well-being. But he couldn't tolerate the young ninjas of Kirigakure being attacked.

After the bloody Mist Village era, Kirigakure had just recovered some vitality, and young people were the village's hope.

Now, with hundreds of them dead, he wanted to drink Akatsuki's blood and eat their flesh.

*Could it be that the old man's words no longer held weight with the Mizukage?*

Seeing the master's stern tone, Mei had no choice but to give up questioning Ao. She didn't want to anger the master.

Not only because of his great power but also because of his seniority and experience. It was not too much for her to call him a teacher.

This old man had walked through the turbulent journey of Kirigakure alone and was deeply respected and loved by everyone.

Now that the Akatsuki organization threatened his safety, Mei had to make a statement, or most people would be dissatisfied.

Ao breathed a sigh of relief, finally getting away with it. Fortunately, the master was there, or it would have been difficult to fool the Mizukage.

Kirigakure activated the alert, and patrols within the village became more than ten times stricter than usual.

The Hidden Mist Village is surrounded by mountains and a large river. This is the home of the Mist Ninjas, and their ninjutsu's effectiveness increased by at least three levels.

On the smooth stone cliff, Sasuke and his group stood at the highest point, looking down at the dense lights below.

"It's a clear night sky, and it's rare that there is no fog. What a beautiful night! It would be a pity not to enjoy the fireworks."

Kabuto seemed to guess what was going to happen next and smiled. "Everyone, don't be jealous. Sasuke's performance is a rare opportunity, especially you, Guren."

"Guren, you should be jealous, glasses man." Guren had become much more obedient after being subdued by Sasuke, but his attitude towards others had not changed.

Behind Sasuke, a ball of purple chakra covered half of the sky. The chakra kept changing shape, and a purple raccoon as big as a mountain clung tightly to the mountain.

Everyone jumped on Shukaku's head and curiously studied his body.

Guren couldn't believe how Sasuke subdued these monsters. She had almost lost her life facing the Three-Tails.

The Tailed Beast Ball, about ten times larger than usual, condensed in Shukaku's mouth for a full ten minutes, making people feel dry and thirsty.

Even Kimimaro shrank his head, not daring to touch it. His intuition told him that if he took this move head-on, there would be no bones left.

"Tailed Beast Ball, fire."